Senior year is a special time in  a high school student's life. Having your pictures taken is part of recording it. I love working with all of these fantastic seniors to create memories and give them something to always be able to look back at when they are older. Madddie's session was another great one, filled with lots of laughs and of capturing of different looks. 

She was just as excited as I was and was so into it. I love that! I couldn't have asked for a better subject.

She was more than willing to try anything and had many ideas of her own.

The many different moods we created were awesome!

She brought along her dog, which I love. It makes for such genuine reactions and expressions, from the seniors, too.

It was so nice to see older brother, Andrew, who I photographed when he was a senior.

Maddie, you were so awesome to work with. I know how much you love taking and being in pictures, so you have an eye for what looks good, and you didn't look good, you looked AMAZING!! Thanks for making me love my job even more than I already do! Best to you this senior year!

Just look how gorgeous Samantha is! We have so much fun getting these types of images.

The session typically starts with us chatting and that pretty much continues the whole time. I love getting to know my seniors if we haven't met before. If we have, I love catching up.  My husband assists me and he loves to get to know everyone, too.

We walk around and I see what catches my eye for lighting and backgrounds and framing. The senior also has input into what they might like. If they're not sure, I have no problem suggesting things. I am not shy and love to guide people. I like to have each senior come away from their session loving the experience . The senior year is an important milestone in their life. I want to create a positive memory for them.

I get such a thrill out of sharing some of the shots right away. I just love doing this.

Bringing along your boy friend or your family usually provides for added fun.

Outfit changes are encouraged. It's nice to get a variety of different looks.

These images are from a session with Samantha Dunham. We spent about an hour together and had lots of laughs and I saw some pretty great expressions that didn't make the final cut. I love how comfortable she felt and I definitely knew when something I suggested just wasn't her style.

Belfast, Maine is a place I love to photograph. It is rich with textures and colors. As my husband and I were walking up the street in front of one of our "go to" places, Rollie's, I noticed his reflection in the window. I am a sucker for reflection pictures, so I asked him to stop and lean against the wall. Let me explain what I saw and how I composed the picture.

I used the rule of thirds to  put him off center in the image for a more interesting composition.

The window served as a frame for the subject and as leading lines bring the viewers eyes to  him. The tops of the buildings in the reflection also served as leading lines, as do the vertical lines under the window frame.

The repeating color of red in the window frame and the chairs, gives a unifying element to the composition . The repeating patterns of vertical lines in the windows of the building in the background, the slats in the red chairs and moldings around and below the window, also add unity to the composition. 

The story telling of the image is my favorite part. Look where I am! I'm in a really cool old brick town with the guy I love, who is willing to be my subject whenever I ask.

This one is all about lines, mood , color, subject and reflection. I know the telephone pole is distracting, yet I decided not to take it out for 2 reasons. It frames the building and the American flag repeated the colors.  I took it at this angle to emphasize all the horizontal lines and repeating rectangles. I love all the colors, red is my favorite color.  The cloudy day enhances the mood. I have a fondness for this location because I used it as one of the locations for my daughter's engagement pictures. Emily and Corey love Belfast, also.

This is a different view of the same building. The colors really give it interest and style.

This one was almost a "delete" for me, but then I fell in love with it. I couldn't stop analyzing it once I took a closer look.

The leading lines lead the viewer to look to the left of the image to get a slice of what the street looks like. I also like the fact that we kinda have that updated "American Gothic" look .
With any image, everyone sees it differently. I, of course, am more emotionally invested in this image, which adds to my liking it. I would suspect that others would find it too busy and not like it or say it's just, "ehh."  But that's okay, if you're still reading this, at least I may have inspired how you approach your future compositions.